You may have noticed that I’ve been MIA from this site recently. The reason for this is due to a laptop catastrophe, which began on Easter Monday and rumbled on until late last week..

When my lovely MacBook Prp decided to die on Easter Monday I was able to fix it myself (not sure how, but I did). A smart person would have taken this as a sign and gone to the Apple Store –  or at the very least do a MASSIVE backup.

I didn’t and lessons have been learned.

When Technology Fails Us

I love technology and gadgets, but when they fail us a part of our soul goes with it – unfortunately it’s the productive part that tends to get work done. For four days I had to work on my iPad, which isn’t my forte, falling behind my schedule and getting little done as a result.

However, things could have been much worse, that is for sure. My laptop is working fine and it didn’t cost much to fix. I also managed to salvage ‘most’ of my data, so it’s fair to say that I got lucky… this time.

Working on The Successful Mistake brings many benefits, one of the biggest being that I get to see first hand how other people approach mistakes, how they overcome them, and how they learn and move forward.

I’m determined to learn from my Laptop Demise and make sure I move onward and upward. This is what I’ve learned:

IMAP not POP

I‘m not email savvy. I know how to setup an account, but understanding all the ins and outs is beyond my capabilities. Before my laptop demise, I used Thunderbird and set up using POP (apparently), which means it stores all of my emails on my laptop – rather than their server.

At the time this seemed like a good idea, but I have no idea why. Needless to say this was a mistake and I have now lost all of my emails, most email addresses, and a few key correspondences that could come back to haunt me.

It’s enough to make you want to cry, but if all I’m going to lose from this is email, it’s a price I must pay. I now use Apple Mail (which I love) and IMAP (emails saved in the cloud), and considering changing servers to add extra security.

Please, learn from my mistake and make sure you’re on IMAP (or regularly backup your emails). Check your settings now… go… do it!

Automate Where Possible

My iCal is rather manic. This is great as it helps keep me organised, but when I have to rely only on myself, issues arise.

In my call I set certain periods to backup my data, clean my Mac, and other boring tasks. I now plan on automating such chores wherever possible, which means investing in a home network that allows Time Machine to do its magic… automatically… with or without my consent.

I’ve also downloaded Clean My Mac 2 and tasked it with automatically cleaning my laptop every two weeks. These are both things I can do myself, but laziness, busyness, and sleepiness can quickly cause issue.

Setting all of this up costs a little hard earned money, money I’d rather not spend, but the next time an issue like this arises I may not be so lucky. I may lose ALL of my data, which is worth a whole lot more than $200.

Take Things Seriously

Recently I’ve planned major updates for Turndog Millionaire. This involves a new website, new courses, new projects, and a whole new outlook on life. It’s very exciting, largely because I’m taking things to the next level.

What this recent episode has taught me is that I need to take everything I do seriously. I must up the ante wherever I can, so this week I’m meeting my bank manager, building a home network, and downloading key pieces of software that will keep me protected and on top.

It makes me think about Steven Pressfield and his outlook on ‘being a pro’. If you don’t take yourself seriously then how can you expect others to do so. I’ve decided I don’t take myself seriously enough, but this will soon change.

What You Can Take Away From This

In this instance I didn’t lose much. Next time I may not be so lucky!

The Successful Mistake has taught me a great deal, especially in the last two weeks.

1. I Didn’t Panic (I took a step back and made rational decisions)
2. I Stayed Positive (if the worse came about, I’d have a new MacBook Air)
3. I Made A Few Backup Plans (be prepared for anything and everything)
4. I Asked For Help (I asked friends in the ‘know’ – it helped!)
5. I WANT To Learn (I won’t suffer from this again – EVER!)

For the most part a lot of this was unavoidable. I can’t help nor predict when my laptop will die, but what I can control is being prepared for the worst and being proactive wherever possible.

I didn’t backup my data, I didn’t setup my email properly, and I didn’t act upon the first issues on Easter Monday. This was my mistake. It’s my fault I don’t have my emails and it’s my fault that I had a week of unproductive nightmares.

I will learn though. Will you learn from my mistakes? 

I have an exciting few weeks ahead of me, and although this episode has thrown a spanner in the machinery, I’m glad it happened – kind of…

Turndog – @turndog_million